NBA Conference Finals Heating up

One would think the sporting world had entered a cryogenic freezing center in the city of Chicago if you went by the population’s pulse. The Chicago Cubs are celebrating yet another season of futility while the Chicago White Sox are completely ignored by the entire city, except for what seems like a few die-hard fans that have been spouting the team’s supposed good fortune since April.

In that sense, it’s hard to believe that the NBA playoffs are still going on, because to many Chicagoans, the season ended as soon as Derrick Rose went down in Game 1 of the opening playoff round.

So, unless you’re an avid NBA fan, you probably wouldn’t even know that the conference finals have come down to the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the West and the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in the East.

The Spurs have been the surprise team during these playoffs. To think that they’d be up 2-1 on the Thunder right now and how masterful they’ve played against them is almost inconceivable considering the Thunder were the early favorite to represent the West in the NBA Finals. But with the Spurs winning 20 straight games going into Game 3 on Thursday night, it can plainly be seen that even though this team is relatively old, they’re playing with the same kind of closeness that they’ve displayed in their previous championships. The same big three of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan have played extensive minutes and lead the team in scoring so far during this series.

On the other side, Kevin Durant is carrying most of the load for his team, making it all the tougher for them to break out of the hole they’ve dug themselves into.

Meanwhile, in the East, the Heat have jumped to a 2-0 lead as well over the Celtics. Now supposedly, this was to be the series the Bulls were working towards all season, and now that it’s here and the Celtics are in the Bulls spot… who wants to watch this anyways?

I must give the Celtics some credit though, they worked hard to get here. However, one can’t help but think how the Bulls should’ve been steam rolling over them on their way to attack against LeBron James and the Heat. Game 3 starts Friday night, and with the Celtics in just as much a hole as the Thunder are, it would seem like we’re looking at a Spurs vs. Heat NBA Finals.

This is certainly an NBA Finals I would watch. The last chance for the Spurs to win a championship with their current core matching up against a team that has to prove that they’re bloated star power is all that they need to win a title.

So, even though most of Chicago might have moved on from the drama of the NBA, there’s still plenty to watch and look forward to.

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